i 925 J Setchellr-Gardner: Melanophyceae 429 



Growing on Nereocystis Lu< tkcana. Puget Sound region to central 

 California. 



Harvey, Coll. Alg. N.W. Amer., 1862, p. 167 ; Setchell and Gardner. 

 Alg. N.W. Amer., 1903, p. 238. Ectocarpus granulosus Tilden, Amer. 

 Alg. (Exsicc.), no. 359a (not no. 3596) ; Collins, Holden and Setchell, 

 Phyc. Bor.-Amer. (Exsicc), no. 2242. 



The Ectocarpus oviger Harvey has been a puzzle for phy eulogists 

 who, in general, have been inclined to refer it to E. granulosus, to 

 which latter species Harvey himself compared it. An examination of 

 the type specimen at Dublin and a careful study of Harvey 's descrip- 

 tion, lead us to refer here no. 359a of Tilden 's American Algae and 

 no. 2242 of the Phycotheca Boreali-Americana and to keep E. oviger, 

 at least as thus interpreted, distinct from E. granulosus. Harvey 

 speaks of his plants as having the aspect of Pylaiella littoralis, and 

 the plants we refer to his species resemble certain varieties or forms 

 of that species more than they do any forms of E. granulosus. Harvey 

 also remarks that the "fruit" of his species is like that of E. granu- 

 losus, and it is true that, in our specimens, which show only game- 

 tangia, these resemble the gametangia of E. granulosus more than 

 those of any other species, but differ from them sufficiently in shape 

 and dimensions to prevent merging the one species into the other. 

 Our conclusion is that Ectocarpus oviger, while closely related to 

 E. granulosus, is sufficiently different from it in habit, in the length 

 of the main filaments, and in the shape and size of the gametangia, to 

 be retained as an independent species. 



"We have indicated that we are uncertain as to the zoosporangia in 

 this species, although it has been supposed that the ' ' fruit ' ' described 

 by Harvey is zoosporangial. The bodies seen on the portion of the 

 type specimen examined seemed to be empty zoosporangia. On the 

 other hand, the gametangia at maturity and about to discharge their 

 gametes show little or no trace of the internal partitions, so that 

 further experience with this species is very desirable. 



20. Ectocarpus breviarticulatus J. Ag. 



Fronds tufted, 2-4 cm. high, arising from creeping filaments ; erect 

 filaments about 27/a broad (35-45/x, fide Kuetzing and De-Toni), either 

 sparingly branched or more or less beset with short branchlets, both 

 branches and branchlets attenuated toward the apex and hooked, 

 intertwined into rope-like masses; cells usually 1.5-2 times as long as 



